Exosuit lets divers go 1,000 feet deep (pictures)

This special suit, which weighs 530 pounds, lets divers go to depths of 1,000 feet, where water pressure is 30 times that of the surface.

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Michael Lombardi testing the exosuit

A next-generation exosuit now on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, is designed to allow a diver to safely reach depths of 1,000 feet, where pressure is 30 times greater than at the surface.

This is diver Michael Lombardi testing the suit, which will be on display in the museum's Paul Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life through March 5.

Back of suit

The back side of the exosuit features a life support system, which is meant to let a diver remain far below the surface for hours. The suit has 1.6-horsepower foot-controlled thrusters and 18 rotary joints in the arms and legs, allowing the diver to move and to control special accessories.

Remotely operated

The exosuit does not work on its own. Instead, it's used in conjunction with this remotely operated vehicle, called the DeepReef-ROV. It was designed to study bioluminescence and biofluorescence by taking high-resolution photographs of marine life.